Roberto Rodriguez of Richardson, Texas spotted a good deal for an iPhone 7 on the Facebook Marketplace and took his wife and three kids to meet the seller in an apartment complex and pick up the phone.

Rodriguez later told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram he should have gone alone.
When Rodriguez and his family arrived at the meeting place, “…An 18-year-old named Otis Lenoie was waiting for him in the parking lot, Rodriguez said. When he got out of his SUV, Lenoie and three other men attacked him — punching, kicking, and dragging him to the rear of his vehicle while [his wife, Fernanda] and the kids watched, horrified,” the Star-Telegram reported.

Rodriquez said he was able to retrieve his “cheap little Hi-Point .380” from the door of his car. He fired between five and seven shots, wounding two of the attackers. The third fled the scene. Lenoie was arrested, and more arrest warrants were issued for the other suspects involved in the incident.

Rodriguez told the Star-Telegram “…he bought another gun and keeps it in the same spot as the one he used to thwart his attackers: right in the car door.”

“I’m so thankful for the Second Amendment,” Rodriguez said. “But people also need to watch out on these exchanges from Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace. It’s not always safe.”

“Many local police stations are designated safe exchange locations for people meeting to buy and sell such items,” the Star-Telegram noted.

Robert Davis is a journalist from Colorado. He covers defensive gun use and Second Amendment policy for Gunpowder Magazine. Contact him at RobertDavis0414@gmail.com.

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Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Gunpowder Magazine.